Machine for processing sheet materials



June 18, 1929. H. HORSFALL 1.717.975

momma FOR PROCESSING SHEET MATERIALS Filed Jan. s, 1925 5 Sheets -Sheet 1 7 fiziziar June i8, 1929. H. HORSFALL 1.717.976

MACHINE FOR PROCESSING SHEET MATERIALS Filed Jan. 3, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 18, 1929. H. HORSFALL MACHINE FOR PROCESSING SHE IET MATERIALS Filed Jan. 3, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 18, 1929. H. HORSFAQLL 1.717.976

MACHINE FOR PROCESSING SHEET MATERIALS Filed Jan. 3, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 IIILIIIIIII June 18, 1929. HORSFALL 1.717.976

MACHINE FOR PROCESSING VSHEET MATERIALS Filed Jan. 3, i925 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT. orrics.

HERBERT HORSFALL, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SALTS TEX- TILE MANUFACTURING 00., OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR PROCESSING SHEET MATERIALS.

Application filed January 3, 1925 Serial No. 441.

whereby to prevent scorching or burning the material.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for continuously rotating the embossing irons and for oscillating them with respect to the fabric to produce a wavy or variegated effect in the design.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the machine to vary the pattern of the design embossed on the fabric or other material.

Further objects of the improvement are set forth in the following specification which describes a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the complete machine Fig. 2, an end view of the same, looking in the direction indicated by arrow w in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a fragn ientary view of the opposite end of the machine, illustrating the driving shafts and gearing;

Fig. 4. an enlarged plan view of one of the cams which controls the path of movement of the reciprocating carriage or crosshead carrying the embossing irons, also showing a portion of the carriage;

Fig. 5, a vertical sectional view of the cam and cross head taken on line 5-5 of Fig. a;

Fig. 6, an enlarged cross-sectional elevation of the carriage or crosshead showingone of the embossing irons and its driving con- .nec tions Fi 7., an enlar 'ed vertical sectional view 2: b of the embossing iron showing the electrical heating coil therein;

machine.

F ig'. 8, a detailed view of the Geneva-motion which controls the step-by-step feed of the material through the machine;

F ig. 9, a diagram illustrating the path of travel of the iron over the material under its oscillating motion and the intermittent feed of the fabric; 1

Fig. 10, a detailed view of the mechanism for raising and lowering the cloth restor table to control the contact of the irons with the fabric;

Fig. 11, a view of a modified'form of em bossing iron arranged to be heated by a gas flame;

Fig. 12, a detailed View of the piping connections for the gas-burner; and

Fig. 13, a face view of a section of fabric having a conventional design embossed on its face as produced on the improved machine.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the improved machine is mounted on a framework comprising standards or endframes 2 and 3 which rest on the floor and are connected by horizontal'tie ods t and a longitudinal angle-iron 5, see Fig. 2, extending across the front of the machine at the top of the end-frames. At the righthand end of the machine, as viewed in Fig. 1, is a sub-frame comprising a third standard or leg 6 connected to'the end-frame 3 by the same tie-rods 4:. J ournaled in bearings 7 on the end-frames 2 and 3 is a horizontal drive-shaft 8 through which power is ap plied to the machine. The shaft 8 carries a belt-pulley 9 at its right-hand end connected by a belt 10 to the line-shaft or other source of power from which the machineis driven, see Figs. 1 and 3. At the-side of the pulley 9' is a loose pulley'll onto which the belt 10 is shifted when it is required to stop the At the left-hand end of the shaft 8 is a belt-pulley 12 which is'connected by a belt 13 to drive the embossing elements of the machine through means hereinafter described.

Referring particularly to Fig. 3, the shaft 8 carries a skew-gear 15 meshing with a simand journaled in suitable bearings 22 fastened to said frames. The shaft 21 is extended at the right beyond the end-frame 3 with its end journaled in a bearing 23 fastened to the standard or leg 6, see Fig. 1. A -bevelgear 25, fast on the shaft 21 between the end-frame 3 and leg 6, meshes with a similar gear 26 on a vertical stubshaft 27. The stub-shaft 27 is journaled in a bearing 28, fastened to the top of the leg 6, and at its upper end carries a crank-disk 30 which serves as the main reciprocating element for the oscillating carriage or crosshead 45 carrying the embossing irons 50 to be later described.

The carriage or crosshead 45 consists in a ribbed beam extending horizontally across the top of the machine with its ends resting on cam-plates 31 which are fixedly attached to the tops of the end-frames 2 and 3. Fastened to the right-hand end of the carriage 45 is an angle-iron bracket 32 having a bearing for a stud or bolt 33 which serves as the wrist-pin for a connecting-rod 34. The opposite end of the connecting-rod 34 is journaled on a crank-pin 35 projecting from the face of the crank-disk previously referred to. The crank-pin is preferably adjustable in a slot 36 extending diametrically across the face of the crank-disk 30, or the crank-pin may be fitted to different holes in the crank-disk to adjust its eccentricity with respect to the axis of rotation of the disk. Such means for adjusting the throw of the crank-pin are well known in the art and are therefore not herein shown or described in detail.

Referring particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, the cam-plates 31 provide rests or bearings across which the carriage or crosshead 45 slides. Formed in the plates 31 are cam slots 37 adapted to be engaged by followers 38 projecting downwardly from the ends of the carriage 45. As shown more particularly in Fig. 5, the follower 38 may be constituted in a pin or stud formed on the end of a bolt 39 which reaches down through the end of the carriage 45 and screws into a plate 40. The plate 40 may be of bronze or other wear-resisting metal adapted to minimize the wear between the carriage and the camplates. The cam-slots 37 are herein illustrated as of V-shape, but it is to be understood that plates with slots of different contour may be substituted in accordance with variations in the patterns to be produced.

The carriage extends substantially the full width of the machine and is provided at its left-hand end with an extension 42 comprising a metal strap bent into U-shape and bolted to the end of the carriage at 43. At the outer end of the extension42 is an arched standard carrying a bearing 44, and similar bearings 46 and '47 at the opposite ends of the carriage 45 serve as the journals for a horizontal shaft 48 which drives the rotary embossing irons 50. As shown in Fig. 6, the irons 50 are provided with vertical shafts 51 journaled in bushings 52 held in bores 53 spaced along the crosshead 45 as h illustrated in Fig. 1. The present drawings illustrate a series of four embossing irons mounted on the crosshead 45, but the number may be varied as desired. Fast on the upper ends of the shafts 51 are bevel-gears 54 arranged to mesh with similar gears 55 keyed to the shaft 48. The lower ends of the irons 50 are constructed in the form of flat disks 56 which are scored or grooved on their bottom faces, preferably with a diainetrical slot 57. The purpose of this groove or slot 57 is to raise a Wale or feather on the surface of the fabric being embossed in the manner and for the purpose as hereinafter more fully explained. In some cases the contact face of the iron may be slightly crowned or convexed as shown in Fig. 11.

The irons 50 may be heated by any suitable means, such as with a gas-burner or from an electrical current, the latter arrangement having been found preferable. For this purpose the shank 58 of the iron 50 adjacent its lower disk-portion 56 may be enclosed within a heating coil 60, as

shown in F i 7 which is arotected b a l cylindrical shield or housing 61 surrounding the coil and attached to the iron at 62. The windings ofthe coilare preferably separated from each other and insulated from the shank of the iron 50 by layers of sheet mica in accordance with the well known practice. The shaft 51 of the iron 50 is preferably made hollow or tubular to adapt it to receive a porcelain sleeve or insulator 63. Extending down through the sleeve or insulator 63 is a rod 64, preferably of copper or other suitable condi1cting-material, to which the heating coil is electrically connected by means of a screw 65 reaching in from one terminal of the coil. The screw 65 is insulated from the iron by a suit-able bushing 66 inserted in a bore in the shank 58. The opposite terminal of the coil 60 is grounded in the iron 50'at 67. The rod 64 projects from the shaft 51 above the gear 54 and is formed at its upper end with a rounded depression or concavity 68. A plunger 69 having a convex button-like lower end is adapted to rest within the socket 68 at the upper end of the rod 64,

being maintained in contact therewith to provide an electrical connection by means of a helical spring 70, see Fig. 6. The spring 70 is held in a pocket formed by a flanged cup 71 set into the lower face of a fiber or asbestos board 72 which extends across the top of the crosshead or carriage 45 and is supported thereon by means of angle-shaped brackets 73. Arranged along the front of the carriage 45 adjacent each embossing iron 50 is an electrical switch 7 5 having suitable conductors 01' wires 76 and 77 leading from its contact terminals. One wire 76 has its end electrically connected to the cup or socket 71, while the other wire 77 is grounded in the metal of the crosshead 45. Through this arrangement the heating coil 60 for each iron is connected with the source of current through its respective switch so that the current to the individual irons may be turned on and off at the will of the operator. Mounted on the right-hand end of the carriage 45 is a fuse-box 78 carrying a main switch 79 and a signal-lamp 80, see Fig. 1. A suitable conductor-cord or cable 81 leads from the top of the fuse-box 78 for connection by means of the usual plug to any convenient lamp-socket. The signal-lamp is connected in series with the several switches 7 5 for the irons 50, the wires for the latter leading through suitable piping 82 extending from the fusebox 78 across the top of the erosshead 45. The signal-lamp 80 thus serves as a tell-tale to indicate the proper functioning of the electrical devices, any trouble in the circuit, such as the blowing of a fuse or the burning out of a coil, causing the light to be extinguished.

The shaft 48 which, through the gears 54 and 55, imparts rotation to the irons 50 is driven from a belt-pulley slidable along its left-hand end. The pulley 85 is held rotatively with the shaft 48 by means of a key 84 extending between the bearings 44 and 46. The pulley 85 is flanged andadapted to receive the belt 13 which is driven from the pulley 12 on the main driveshaft 8, see Fig. 2. The belt 13 passes up over the pulley 85 and thence down to an idler-pulley 86 which acts as a belt-tightener or compensator to take up the slack in the belt as the crosshead 45 is oscillated back and forth on the cam-plates 31. The crosshead 45 is given both a longitudinal reciprocatory motion and a forward and back oscillating movement as hereinafter more fully explained. The idler-pulley 86 is journaled on a stud 87 at the end of an arm 88, the latter being pivoted on a stud 89 projecting from the side of the end-frame 2. A rod 90 reaches down from the end of the arm 88 and is formed with a hook at its end, to which is connected a spring 91 anchored to an eye-bolt 92 screwed into the floor. Through this arrangement the idlerpulley 86 is permitted to play up and down as the belt 13 is taken up and slacked off by the movement of the driven pulley 85 carried with the crosshead 45. Referring to Fig. 1, the pulley 85 has a grooved wheel 03 on its side which rides on a raised track or rail 96 supported from the cam-plate 31 at this end of the machine. The pulley 85 is thus allowed to travel back and forth in a path at right-angles to its axis during the oscillating movement of the crosshead 45 as the latter recedes from and approaches the front of the machine; the track or rail 96 engaging the groove in the wheel 93 on the pulley to restrain it from lateral movement so as to maintain it in alinement with the belt pulley 12. As the crosshead 45 reciprocates laterally of the machine the shaft 48 will slide through the hub of the pulley 85 while being maintained rotatively connected therewith by means of the key 84.

The sheet material to be embossed or similarly processed is fed through the machine by means of suitable rough-rolls around which it leads. Where fabrics such as plushes and velvets are being operated upon it has been found convenient to place a sup ply of the material on the floor beneath the machine, the strip of cloth being folded back and forth in the usual manner, as indicated in Fig. 2,.so that it will deliver freely to the machine. The strip of fabric vF is first led up over an idler-roll 100, usually a wooden cylinder having trunnions journaled in bearings 101 projecting rearwardly from the end-frames 2 and 3. To apply a tension to the material the strip is then led down under a cross-rod or roller 103 extending between the side-frames 2 and 3, and thence it draws up over the first roughroll 104 which has its trunnions journaled in bearings 105 on the side-frames 2 and 3. The rough-roll 104 may be of any usual construction with its surface covered with card-clothing as employed on feed-rolls in various types of machines. From the roughroll 104 the fabric draws up across a platen or table which is positioned beneath the rotary irons 50 arranged to be raised and lowered with respect thereto through means as next described.

Referring to Fig. 10 the platen or table 110 is mounted on angle-shaped brackets 111 which are slidable in ways'112 fastened to the inside of the end-frames 2 and 3 by means of bolts 113. from the brackets 111 at each end of the table 110 are studs 114 adapted to rest upon the edges of cams 115 mounted on the ends of a sleeve 116 which encloses the crossshaft 21 previously referred to. The sleeve 116 may be loose on the shaft 21 and the cams 115 attached fixedly thereto so that by turning the sleeve the cams will be operated to raise and lower the table 110. For this purpose I may employ a hand-lever 117 consisting of a metal strap clamped around the sleeve 116 with its ends riveted together at 118. It will be noted from Fig. 10 that the cam 115 is formed with two protuberances or high points having curved faces 119. WVhen the cams are turned to the position shown in Fig. 10 the faces 119 will ride under the studs 114 to lift the table 110 Projecting inwardlyto carry the fabric or other material thereon into contact with the irons 50. The friction of the studs 114 against the cams 115 holds the latter engaged at their high points to maintain the table raised, and when it is desired to lower the table the lever 117 is swung upwardly. This action turns the cams 115 to allow the studs 114 to slide down on to the low points of their faces. here in most instances the table is maintained raised. throughout the whole operation of embossing the strip of fabric or other material, so as to provide for a continuous con tact of the irons thereon, in other cases it may be desired to effect an intermittent contact of the irons with the fabric to form a broken or repeat pattern on the goods. To provide for this the table may be automatically raised and lowered at intervals by causing the cams to be rotated with the shaft 21. Such rotative movement may be imparted to the cams 115 by securing the sleeve 116 fast with the shaft 21, for example, by means of set-screws 120 inserted I through thesleeve to adapt them to bind against the shaft. Other shapes of cams maybe employed to provide a different timing of the operation of the table. 7

In certain cases it is desirable to heat the table or platen 110 in order that the goods being treated may be in better conditionto be operated upon by the heated embossing irons. That is to say, the heating of the table will assist in setting or fixing the pile when the latter is flattened in some places and raised in others by the action of the embossing irons. For this purpose a series of suitable electrical heating-elements may be attached along the under side of the table 110 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 10. One pole of the heating-coil or element 125 is grounded in the table 110 and the other connected by a cable 126 to the source of current. The cable 126 may be led through a standpipe 127 rising from the floor at one side of the machine, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and having a switch 130 in convenient location thereon; it being understood that one of the current wiresis grounded in the frame of the machine to complete the circuit through the table 110.

Fromthe table or platen 110 the cloth is drawn forward across a rough-roll 133 mounted on a horizontal shaft 135 which is journaled in bearings 136 projecting forwardly from the end-frames 2 and 3. The rough-roll 133 preferably has its periphery coveredwith card-clothing to adapt it to grip the surface of the cloth which leads thereover and down to a wind-up cylinder or roll 137. The rough-roll or feed-roll 133 is driven positively with an intermittent or step-by-step rotation through the means of a Geneva-motion operated from the shaft 21, see Figs. 2 and 8. This mechanism comprises a disk 138 mounted fast on the crossshaft 21 and having diametrically opposite pins or studs 139 projecting from its face and adapted to engage the spaced radial notches 140 in the Geneva-wheel 141. The Geneva-wheel 141 is journaled on a stud 142 projecting from a bearing 143, see Fig. 1, bolted to the side of the end-frame 2, the outer end of said stud being braced by an arm 144 depending from the shaft 21, see Fig. 2. At the sideof the Geneva-wheel 141 is a spur-gear 145 held rotatively therewith and arranged to mesh with a pinion 146 which is journaled on a stud 147 projecting from a bearing 148 fastened to the front of the end-frame 2. The pinion 146 meshes with a spur-gear 149 fast on the end of the shaft 135 which carries the feed-roll 133. Referring to Fig. 1, at the right-hand end of the shaft 135 is a spur-gear 150 meshing with a smaller gear 151 which is fast on the end of a shaft 156 carrying the wind-up cylinder 137. The shaft 156 is journaled in capped bearings 157 supported from arms 158 clamped to the front of the end-frames 2 and 3. The bearing-caps 159 may be removed so that the shaft. 156 can be lifted out of its bearings to withdraw the roll 137 therefrom when the whole strip of material has been wound upon the latter. The windup roll or cylinder 137 is preferably held on the shaft 156 to be driven frictionally therefrom, so that its speed of rotation may vary in proportion to the increasing diameter of the roll 'of cloth building up thereon. That is to say, there will be a slippage between the wind-up roll 137 and the shaft 156 as the roll .of cloth increases in diameter. to adapt the speed of. take-up to the constant rate of feed of the material from the rough-roll 133 to the wind-up roll 137, this being a common expedient in wind-up mechanisms for textile machines.

It has been stated that where'electrical current is not available, or'where it is more convenient to use a gas-burner, the embossingirons may be heated with this latter means. An arrangement for heating the.

1rons from a gas flame is illustratedin Figs. 11 and 12, the burner being of the Bunsen type and fed with air and gas. For this purpose angle-shaped brackets are mounted along the length of the traveling carriage or crosshead 45 and adapted to support horizontal pipes 166 and 167, the former for compressed air and the latter for gas under pressure. The pipes 166 and 167 are held by clamps 168 and are provided at their ends with couplings 169 and 170, to which are connected flexible hose-pipes 171 and 172 leading from the source of supply of the air and gas. A small pipe 173 leads down from the air-pipe 166 and is joined to a branch 174 leading from the gas-pipe 167. The branch 174 is connected to the gas-pipe 167 by a suitable controlvalve or cock 175 for regulating the mixture of air and gas. 'The two branches 173 and 174 merge in a burnerpipe 176 which is bent inwardly to direct the flame from its end against the rotary embossing iron 177. With this type of burner the embossing iron 177 is constructed in the'shape of acup having a relatively small stein for supporting it from its driving shaft 178. The end of the burner pipe 176 directs the flame against the interior of the cupped iron, as illustrated in Fig. 11, to heat the iron to the proper temperature, the flame being regulated in accordance with requirements by means of the valve 175.

The structure and arrangement of a preferred embodiment of the invention having now been described in detail, its method of operation will next be explained. The pres ent machine is particularly adapted for embossing designs on pile fabrics but may be employed for similar uses with other sheet materials. The cloth or other material may be delivered from a roll or may be folded as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings and placed on the floor beneath the frame of the machine. The strip F is led up over the idler-roll 100, down under the tension rod 103, thence up over the rough-roller 104 and across the top of the table 110. Usually a length of waste fabric or ordinary cloth is attached to the forward end of the strip of material to be treated and led over the feedroll 104 down to the wind-up roll 137 with its end secured thereto, thus avoiding an unfinished or waste end on the processed goods. Before starting the machine the current is turned on at the switches 79, 75, etc., to cause the several embossing irons 50 to be brought to the proper temperature for treat ing the material without danger of scorching or burning it. The temperature of the irons may be regulated through suitable rheostats or other devices as .well known to those versed in the electrical art and therefore not herein shown and described. The current is also turned on to the electrical-coils or elements 125 which heat the table 110 from its under side, these elements being of usual construction as generally used for heating different apparatus. lVhen the table and irons have been brought to the required degree of heat the machine is ready to operate and its mechanism is started by shifting the driving-belt 10 from the loose pulley 11 to the tight pulley 9. The drive-shaft 8 will be driven from the pulley 9 to drive the main shaft 21 of the machine through the gears 15, 16, 19 and 20 illustrated in Fig. 3. The shaft 21, being geared tothe stub-shaft 27 by means of the bevel-gears and 9.6 as shown in Fig. 1, causes the crank-disk 30 to be rotated whereby its crank-pin will act through the connecting-rod 34 to reciprocate the crosshead back and forth across the machine. It has been explained that the movement of the crosshead 45 is regulated by the travel of its followers 38 in the cam-grooves 37 of the plates 31,,the action of the crosshead with the type of cams illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 being as later explained.

During the reciprocation of the crosshead 45 the embossing irons are rotated from the gears 54 driven by the gears 55 on the horizontal shaft 48. The shaft 48 is driven from the pulley 85 at its left-hand end which is connected by the belt 13 to the larger pulley 12 on the end of the main drive-shaft 8. It has been explained that as the crosshead 45 is reciprocated longitudinally across the machine the shaft 48 slides through the pulley 85 which is held on its track or rail 96 by means of the grooved wheel 93. At the same time, the pulley 85 is allowed to travel back and forth longitudinally of the rail or track 96 as the crosshead moves to and fro with relation to the front of the machine, and meanwhile the belt 13 is maintained taut by the swinging idler-pulley 86 held under tension by the spring 91, see Fig. 2.

While the machine is at rest the table 110 is lowered by rocking the lever 117, shown in Fig. 10, upwardly to turn the cams 115 so that the studs 114 on the bracks 111 supporting the table will ride down on to the low oints on the cams. After the machine has een started, however, with the irons and the table at the proper temperature, the table is raised by turning the lever 117 into the position shown in Fig.10. This causes the surface of the fabric to be brought against the lower faces of the embossing irons 50 so that they will contact therewith to iron down the pile standing perpendicular from the face of the fabric.

As the crosshead 45 is reciprocated from the crank-disk 30 the irons 50 carried therebywill be caused to follow a diagonal, V shaped course across the face of the cloth, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, as defined by the shape of the cam-slots 37, see Fig. 4. The feed of the fabric across the table 110 is intermittent or with a step-by-step advance, as previously explained, and the timing of the feed is regulated to advance the fabric after each traverse of the irons in one direction. That is, after the crosshead 45 has been reciprocated say to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, the fabric is fed forward a certain distance by the operation of the Geneva-motion shown in Figs. 2 and 8. This mechanism is so timed that at the end of the traverse of the irons 50 in each direction one of the pins 139 on the disk 138 will engage one of the slots in the Geneva-wheel 141 toturn the latter 145 connected therewith to operate through the pinion 1 16 "to turn the gear 1&9 on the shaft 135 which rotates the roughroll 133 to feed the fabric forward to a predetermined extent. After this first step in the feed the irons 50 are traversed back in the opposite direction and. at the end of their stroke the Geneva-motion will again act to feed the fabric forward in the next step and to the'same extent as formerly. The path of each iron over the fabric will thus follow a course as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 9. Starting from the left the iron will move diagonally. of the strip F half way across its full traverse, and then at an opposits angle to form the first V of the herring-bone pattern indicated at 3/ in Fig. 9;

Then as the fabric is advanced a step the iron will be displaced rearwardly on its face for a certain distance during the dwell which occurs at the end of the reciprocation of the crosshead 45 as the crank-pin passes across center. Immediately the cloth has been fed forward, however, the iron starts 2 its traverse back in the opposite direction, as

indicated by the arrow 2 in Fig. 9, to make the next V of the design. 1 In this way a series of alined V-shaped stripes are im pressed on the face of the goods-by the embossing action of the heated irons 50, con tinuing progressively along the strip with the ends of the Vs connected on alternately opposite sides or in staggered relation.

It is to be noted that where a plurality of irons are employed in the machine, as herein illustrated, their paths of traverse will overlap at the ends so as to make the pattern axis, the pile ends being somewhat curled or brushed around in a general circular course. The slot 57 cut diametrically across the contact face of. the iron 50 leaves an opening for the pile ends to stand erect at the center of-the stripe, and this results in a ridge or wale being left standing along the medial line of the stripe as indicated at Z in Fig. 13. At either side of this medial ridge or wale b the. pile threads are laid in opposite directions, as indicated at c and d in Fig. 13, so that as the light strikes the'fabric the sheen on its glossy surface will give the appearance of two contrasting shades of color, thus presenting a highly artistic and ornamental effect on the face of the goods.

I/Vhere the series of Vs or herring-bone stripes overlap at their ends the irons leave a longitudinal stripe caused by the forward feed of the fabric through the machine as indicated, at e, e in Fig. 13. In some cases the apices of the Vs are also connected by a longitudinal stripe which may be applied by running the fabric through the machine a sec end time with the irons rotating butheld substantially fixed with respect to the table across which the fabric feeds. Inother instances the fabric is run through the machine while the irons are rotated and given. a slight oscillatory movement across the width of the cloth to produce wavy stripes. Such variations in the pattern maybe accomplished by altering the throw of the crank which reciprocates the carriage or crosshead carrying the rotary irons. Various other patterns may be produced by changing the form of the cam-grooves 37 in the cam-plates 31 and by altering the timing of the feed, or by making it continuouswhen required. Such modifications in the shape of the cams and the method of operating the feed fall. within the scope of the present invention as provided for by adjustments of the mechanism of the machine which it is unnecessary to further explain.

' While it is preferable to employ electrical current to heat the embossing irons, in some cases where a source of currentis not available the gas-burners shown in Fig. 11 may be substituted for the heating-coils illustrated in Fig. 7. IVith eitherv arrangement the heating of the irons may be controlled to maintain the proper degree of temperature without danger of scorching or burning the delicate materials on which the machine op. erates.

It will be observed that theinvention pro vides a particularly compact and simple ma chine for automatically operating on sheet material to process its surface as by embossing designs thereon. Vhile the improved machine is designed"particularly for'emboss ing pile fabrics such as velvets and plushes,

it may be used with other types of textile goods and also with other materials, for instance,'to embos's leather, paper, or the like. After the machine has once been adjusted and started to operate'it requires very little attention, the operation of the irons and the feed being continued automatically to treat long strips of material. In fact, the ma chine can be operated'continuously by simply attaching a new strip to the end of each strip being completed where the design applied to the goods is to be thesame.

While I have herein illustrated a preferred embodiment of the device it is to be understood that various modifications may be made in the structure and arrangement of its mechanism without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore,

without limiting myself to the exact arrangement herein shown and described, I claim:

1. In a machine for processing strips of sheet materials, the combination of a rotary iron, means to rotate t 1e iron on an axis sul stantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the iron, means to traverse the iron laterally across the face of the strip, and means to feed the strip longitudinally beneath the iron to emboss an irregular stripe on the face of the material.

2. In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of a plurality of rotary irons, means to rotate the irons on axes substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the irons, and mechanically operated means to travel the irons in unison across the face of the material to impress an embossed design thereon.

In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of a rotary iron, means to rotate the iron on an axis substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the iron, means to hold the iron in contact with the material, mechanieally operated means to reciprocate the iron flaterally and longitudinally with respect to the strip of material, and means to cause a relative feed between the iron and the material to continuously impress an embossed design thereon.

4. In a machine for processing strips of sheet materials, the combination of a rotary iron, means to rotate the iron on an axis substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the iron, means to hold the ironin contact with the material, means to cause a relative lateral travel be tween the iron and material, and means to effect a relative feed between the iron and material longitudinally of the strip to continuously apply an embossed design thereto.

5. In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of means for feed ing the material through the machine, a retary iron adapted to contact with the material, means to rotate the iron on an axis sub stantially perpendicular to the face of the.

material, means to heat the iron, and means to traverse the iron on the material laterally of its axis of rotation whereby to impress an embossed design on the material with the pattern repeated along its length.

6. In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of means for feeding the material through the machine, a rotary iron, means to rotate the iron on an axis substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to traverse the iron laterally of the strip of material, means to heat the iron, and means for causing an intermittent contact of the iron with the material during the feed whereby to impress an embossed de sign on the material with the pattern re peated along its length.

7. In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of a rotary iron, means to rotate the iron on an axis substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the iron, means to effect a relative feed between the iron and material, means to traverse the iron laterally of the strip of material, and means for causing an intermittent contact of the iron with the material during the feed whereby to impress an embossed design on the material with the pattern repeated along its length.

8. In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of a rotary iron, means to rotate the iron on an axis substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the iron, means to effect a rel ative travel between the iron and material, means'to traverse the iron laterally of the strip of material, and means for causing a relative displacement of the iron and material to control the contact therebetween whereby to impress an embossed design on the material with the pattern repeated along its length.

9. In a machine for processing sheet ma terials, the combination of a rotary iron, means to rotate the iron on an axis substarn tially perpendicular to the face of the ma terial, means to heat the iron, means to cause a relative traverse between the iron and ma terial laterally of the axis of the iron, and means to intermittently feed the material forward with respect to the iron to impress an embossed design thereon with the pattern repeated along its length. i

10. In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of a platen, means to heat the platen, a rotary iron adapted to contact with the material held on the platen, means to rotate the iron on an axis substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat "the iron, mechanically-operated means for effecting a relative lateral traverse between the iron (11d. ma-

terial, and means to cause a longitudinal feed of the material with respect to the iron, to emboss a repeat pattern on the face of the material.

11. In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of a platen across which the material feeds, a rotary iron, means to rotate the iron on an axis substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the iron, mechanicallyoperated means for traversing the iron laterally of the material, means to feed the ma terial longitudinally with respect to the iron, and means to effecta relative displacement between the iron and platen to regulate the period of contact of the iron on the mate rial whereby the iron is caused to emboss a repeat pattern on the face of the material.

12. In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of a platen across which the material feeds, a rotary iron, means to rotate the iron on an axis substantially perpendicular to the face of the ma terial, means to heat the iron, and automatically operated means to raise and lower the platen to intermittently bring the material against the iron and remove it from contact therewith, whereby the iron is caused to emboss a repeat pattern on the face of the material.

13. In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of a carriage, a plurality of rotary irons on the carriage, means to rotate the irons on axes substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the irons, and means to move the carriage laterally and with a forward and back motion to travel the irons on the surface of the material to impress an embossed design thereon with a pattern having a. plurality of undulating stripes.

14:- In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of means for feeding the material through the machine, a carriage, a plurality of rotary irons on the carriage, means to rotate the irons on axes substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the irons, means to reciprocate the carriage to travel the irons laterally of the strip of material, and means to impart a forward and back movement to the carriage to cause the irons to apply an embossed design on the material with a repeat pattern of undulating stripes.

15. In a machine for processing sheet materials, the combination of means for feeding the material through the machine, a carriage, a plurality of rotary irons on the carriage, means to rotate the irons on axes substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the irons, means to reciprocate the carriage to traverse the irons laterally of the strip of material, and means to guide the carriage during its reciprocation to cause it to follow an undulating course to define the path of movement of the irons on the material.

16. Ina machine for embossing sheet materials, the combination of a carriage, a plurality of rotary irons carried by the carriage to adapt them to contact with the ma terial feeding through the machine, means to rotate the irons on axes substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the irons, means to reciprocate the carriage to travel the irons on the material, means for directing the carriage in an un dulating path to produce a Wavy pattern embossed on the material, and means to effect a relative longitudinal feed of the material with respect to the irons.

17. In a machine for embossing sheet materials, the combination of a rotary iron, means to rotate the iron on an axis substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the iron, means to traverse the iron on the surface of the material laterally of the strip, and means to impart a step-by-step feed of the material through the machine to impress an embossed design thereon with a predetermined pattern. repeated at intervals along the strip.

18. In a machine for embossing sheet materials, the combination of a rotary iron, means to rotate the iron on an axis substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the iron, means to travel the iron on the material, and a pattern cam for directing the iron in a predetermined path to emboss a design on the material with a pattern composed of a series of stripes.

19. In a machine for embossing sheet materials, the combination of a pluraity of rotary irons, means to rotate the irons on axes substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to heat the irons, means to traverse the irons in unison on the surface of the material laterally of the strip, and means to direct the several irons in an undulating course as they traverse across the material.

20. In a machine for embossing sheet materials, the combination of a slidable carriage, a plurality of rotary irons on the carriage, means to rotate the irons on axes substantially perpendicular to the face of the material, means to reciprocate the carriage to travel the irons laterally of the strip of material, and a cam for directing the movement of the carriage in a predetermined course to cause the irons to emboss a design on the material.

21. In a machine for embossing sheet materials, the combination of a slidable crosshead, cams at the ends of the crosshead, followers on the crosshead engaging the cams, means to reciprocate the crosshead laterally of the material, and a plurality of dislolike irons journaled on the crosshead to rotate on axes disposed substantially perpendicular to the face of the fabric to adapt them tobe traversed across the material and to be shifted forward and back relatively to its length to emboss a design thereon.

22. In a machine of the type specified, the combination of a frame, plates on the frame having cam-grooves, a crosshead supported from the cam-plates to slide thereon, followers on the crosshead engaging the cam grooves, means to reciprocate the crosshead, and a plurality of disk-1ike irons journaled on'the crosshead to rotate on axes disposed substantially perpendicular to the face of the material fed through the machine.

23. In a machine of the type specified, the

combination of a reciprocating crosshead, a plurality of rotary irons journaled in bearings on the crosshead to rotate on axes disposed substantially perpendicular to the face of the material fed through the machine, a horizontal drive-shaft journaled in hearings on the crosshead and extending longitudinally thereof, means connecting said shaft to rotate the irons, and means to reciprocate the crosshead.

24. In a machine of the type specified, the combination of a disk-like iron formed with a groove on its contact-face, means to rotate the iron, and means to heat the iron.

25. A rotary iron for processing sheet materials having the form of a disk with a crowned contact-face scored with a groove extending across said face.

26. A rotary iron for processing sheet materials having the form of a relatively flat disk scored with a groove extending diametrically across its contact-face.

27. A rotary iron having a hollow shaft, an insulating tube in said shaft, a conductorrod in said tube, a heating element on the iron electrically connected with the conductor-rod, a resiliently-operated contact-meniber bearing against the end of the contactrod, and means connecting said contactmember in circuit with a source of current.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HERBERT HoRsFALL. 

